The Davao Gourmet Collective at SM Lanang

As I had mentioned in a previous post, food festivals are among my most anticipated events at the ongoing Kadayawan Festival 2013. Last weekend, I had already witnessed a glimpse of the Kapuso Food Festival and sampled some of the treats that was showcased in the event. This coming weekend, another big foodie event is in store in The Davao Gourmet Collective to be held at SM Lanang Premier atrium from August 16 to 18, 2013.

SM Lanang has branded itself as the premier destination for shopping and dining in Davao. Thus, it is only fitting that they play host to the first-ever gourmet collective experience wherein the top chefs and restaurateurs join together in one place. Davaoenos can therefore sample their favorite tasty treats from the following purveyors when they visit the said exhibit:

Blugre

Villa Margarita

Malagos Farms

Cellar de Boca

Morisco Ristorante Italiano

Crazy Cook

Bangkok Wok

Osvaldo's

Hog's Breath Cafe

Jonathan's Cupcakery

Beko's Biik

Are you joining The Davao Gourmet Collective? It is scheduled on August 16-18, 2013! Don't miss it at the SM Lanang Premier atrium.

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Kapuso Food Festival

This year's Kadayawan Festival officially opened on August 9, 2013 with plenty of activities lined up to commemorate the city's biggest celebration. One of the things I personally look forward to with these events are food showcases, which is aplenty given the rich culinary culture of Davao region. From fresh fruits to vegetables to a fusion of other cuisines from local and international regions, Davao has truly flourished in the culinary scene and is fast becoming the country's top destination for food trips!

Image: UNA KA BAI Facebook Page

One of the events that took place over the weekend is GMA's Kapuso Food Festival. I had the opportunity to grace the occasion over the weekend wherein I witnessed contests on food preparation, cocktail mixing, and table presentation from concessionaires from different universities in the city offering culinary courses. Celebrities were also in attendance with famed celebrity Chef Boy Lugro doing his own live cooking demonstration at the event on Saturday, August 10.

Image: UNA KA BAI Facebook Page

Among the local food businesses that participated in the first Kapuso Food Festival were Lyndon's, Backyard Burgers, Hollywood Burgers, Penong's, GL Bakeshop, Leylam, Colasas BBQ, Dencio's Kamayan, and Porky's Lechon.

Of these stalls, we sampled Lyndon's offering of their famed Barbecued Ribs and their best-seller Grilled Scallops. If you haven't read my review of Lyndon's, then you should because I was all rave about Barbecued Ribs because it is tender and well-seasoned. Meanwhile, their Grilled Scallops were rich, cheesy, and cream. Truly heaven in a shell!

I, personally, am excited to be joining such events and look forward to other foodie events this Kadayawan 2013. If you know any, leave a comment so I can check it out!

Did you attend the first Kapuso Food Festival?

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Archipelago 7107: Introducing the Best of Filipino Cuisines to Davao

Barrio Fiesta is the brainchild of Sixta Evangelista Ongpauco, a food lover, way back in the 50s when she converted her home into a restaurant, also called Barrio Fiesta, and quickly became known as one of the first fine dining Filipino restaurants in the country. Her special and unique recipe of preparing pork knuckles or pata helped establish Barrio Fiesta in the Philippine culinary map, with the aid of her son who perfected the recipe and introduced it to their menu. Since then, they kept introducing several other Filipino dishes into the menu while integrating their unique ability to prepare these dishes that would draw crowds to their restaurant. 

A few decades later, they opened several other branches and the newest one finally arrives in Davao, also the first outside Luzon. Archipelago 7107 is an off-shoot of Barrio Fiesta that offers a promising concept to the discerning tastes of Davaoenos. According to Tyrone Ongpauco, a third-generation restaurateur who belongs to a family that brought Barrio Fiesta to the fore of the Philippine culinary scene, there are several things they wanted to do differently with Archipelago 7107 while maintaining the quality that made Barrio Fiesta what it is today.

Blessing and opening of Archipelago 7107 at SM Lanang Premier

This is clearly evidenced by the restaurant's ambiance - exhibiting a modern vibe that Tyrone pointed out as a bit deviate from the traditional Filipino restaurant decor concepts. Indeed, the use of vibrant lighting, soft hues, and sophisticated furniture is a huge step ahead of other Filipino cuisine restaurants. On top of that, they have a bar area wherein you can get your favorite drinks and cocktails from, because as they claim, Archipelago 7107 transforms into a bar at night!

Beyond the ambiance and all the grandiose presentations though, Archipelago 7107 truly shines in the food department. With a restaurant that has such a rich tradition and history, what else would you expect? The unique aspect about this restaurant is its ability to take out the best dishes from various parts of the country and offer them in one roof. The number "7107" in the restaurant's name, as you might've guessed, represents the same number of islands that comprise the Philippine archipelago. From there, you can get the gist of what this restaurant venture is hoping to achieve - to take out the best authentic recipes from all over the country and offer them under one roof. Thus, you not only get your favorite Filipino dishes from one restaurant but also enjoy them as they're bound to taste better than what you're used to. Archipelago 7107 not only lives up to the hype, but over-delivers in terms of food quality. And you can tell from the way the owners take pride in the restaurant that they believe they can offer the best in Filipino cuisine. Menu prices range from P120 to P695, with each serving good for 2-4 people.

Here are some of the delectable treats you can find at Archipelago 7107:

Crispy Pata (P 580) - This dish single-handedly made Barrio Fiesta famous and you can expect to experience this sinfully good recipe when you dine at Archipelago 7107. Deep fried pork knuckle cooked to perfection!

Ilocano Rice (P 210) -This rice dish, as Archipelago 7107's menu describes, is a combination of the best that the Ilocos region has to offer. This rice dish comes with Vigan longganisa, bagnet, salted egg, onions, and tomatoes topped on a huge serving of flavored rice.

Kare-Kare (P 390) - This is one of Barrio Fiesta's famous dishes and Davaoenos can get a sample of this same old recipe at Archipelago 7107. The creamy peanut butter sauce is served with tender ox tail and vegetables to your palate's delight.

Sinalab Special (P 610) - This is a collection of fresh seafood and assorted meats cooked to perfection and served in a kawayan (bamboo) tray. Each serving is good for 4-5 persons. 

Mama Chit's Special (P 650) - A feast in a bilao that consist of seafoods and other kinds of meat!

Meanwhile, here are other dishes we've sampled:

Bulalo Steak

Garlic Chicken

Chicharong Bulaklak

Laing

Archipelago 7107 is located at the 2/F Fountain Court area of SM Lanang Premier.

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Mango Passion from Swirls Ice Cream

Pardon my consequential posts on frozen treats and delectable desserts as of late, I've given myself the liberty to indulge. If you can remember, I previously posted about Swirls Ice Cream at SM City Davao and made mention of their "Carfait" treat and how I wanted to try it. Guess what? Not too long after I sampled their ice cream offerings, I returned and tried it!

There are a few selection of Carfait dessert treats on their menu but here is the one that I tried:

Mango Passion: This frozen treat will give you major sugar high. Here's what you'll find in every cup/serving. Several layers of the uniquely prepared vanilla ice cream from Swirls, then added with several layers of mango syrup, and more slices of fresh mango to complete the serving! Hence, you can get a good balance of the potent mango flavor from the syrup and the combination of sweetness and tartness from the real mango slices. The serving is topped off with a stemmed cherry! To be honest, I was quite impressed with the serving knowing that it's priced at only PhP 95!

They do have a few other choices on their Carfait menu but I think the Blueberry Cheesecake flavor is worth a try! Whether you're wanting to cool off from the heat or a delectable treat to your palate, this one's a winner! 

Have you tried any of Swirls Ice Cream's frozen treats yet?

Visit them at the second floor of SM City Davao, fronting SM Food Court.

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